This invention relates to a class of 2-nitro-3-phenyl-benzofuran compounds which are substituted on the 3-phenyl and/or the benzo ring by an alcohol or thioalcohol-containing functional group or a derivative thereof, and to the use of these compounds as antimicrobial agents.
Certain neutral 2-nitrobenzofurans are known as antibacterial agents, for example, see French Pat. No. 2,081,585 and several publications by Rene Royer, et al. In addition, compounds wherein 2-nitro-3-phenylbenzofuran is substituted by an alkanoic acid group are known to have antimicrobial activity (see Belgian Pat. No. 846,502 and German Offenlegungsschrift P No. 2642877). However, compounds wherein 2-nitro-3-phenylbenzofuran is substituted by an alcohol or thioalcohol-containing functional group have not previously been reported.